Eternity's Requiem
by Rocket Master
Summary: They say it is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. But this is not true. A fox reminisces on his life as the world slowly comes apart around him. But then a figure from his past pays a surprise visit...
1. Chapter 1

So everything worked out, after a fashion. Everyone returned to their normal lives, some happier than others. However-

WARNING

SYSTEM PROCESSES INTERRUPTED

TERMINATING ALL UNSAVED DATA

"Not again", he sighed. This was the third time he'd tried to input the story, and each time the system had crashed. Then again, nothing was reliable anymore, not after-

No. He could not bear thinking about that. But he would never escape it, either. The reminders were there-the ravaged landscape that was a testament to that long-ago battle.

He had been lucky enough to escape with his life. But all his friends had perished, and then their killer had gone on to to wreak havoc on the world, resulting in a ravaged planet. They had rebuilt, after a fashion, but everything had reverted to a pre-industrial level, save for a few people, such as himself.

Now, years later, in order to make sure people knew what had happened and who had sacrificed themselves to try and stop it, but every time, the faulty system had destroyed the records. Sighing, he got up, intending to go to the kitchen, when he caught sight of himself in the mirror. His gaze took in himself-the yellow fur, pointed ears, his still short stature.

His eye glistened with tears as he glimpsed the young fox he had been. He might still look like that, but there was no question that he looked different.

His cybernetic eye and arm saw to that.


	2. Chapter 2

Turning away from the mirror, he went to his kitchen. Pouring himself a drink, he sat at his small table. This was his life. Every day was exactly the same now. There was no room for challenge or growth. There never would be again, not with his friends gone.

Tears fell from his eye. It was never going to get better. The pain would never go away. The living hell that had been his life for years would still be his life until the day he died. He closed his eye tight and tried to remember a time when there had been no pain...

_Years ago, in a small cottage..._

_His mother smiled as she held him. She was in their favorite chair-the one that rocked back and forth. She would hold him as they rocked, with sunlight streaming in through the windows, until he slept. Then she would carry him back to his bed, tucking him in. It had been one of the happiest times of his life._

The memory surprised him. He hadn't thought of his parents in a very long time. The clarity of the memory was astonishing-usually his memories were fuzzy and indistinct. It didn't matter anyway-his parents had been gone for almost his whole life. Three years after he was born, they just...disappeared. He had woken up one day in their pleasant little cottage and they were gone. No note, no way of explanation. He had lived alone for two years in that cottage, as it slowly fell into disrepair. Once, when he had gone outside for some fresh air, he had seen the cottage from the outside. It looked abandoned. The paint was peeling, the roof was sagging, and in many places there was gouges and scratches in the paint from the wild animals that had tried to break in. Those nights had been the worst, hiding alone and afraid in the house, hoping they would not get in.

What he did not know was that many people had wondered just who had lived in that cottage, and what had happened to it. No one cared enough to investigate, except for one curious group of children that had been about his age...

_Five years after his birth..._

_He had been in the kitchen, rummaging through the cabinets for something to eat. There had been a sizable amount of supplies left after his parents left. It was running out, however. While he had been looking, he had heard the door slowly creak open. He had immediately frozen, thinking that one of the animals had finally found its way in. Then he had darted to his hiding place-the big closet in what had been his parent' room. He had heard voices..._

_"Wow, this place looks even worse from the inside."_

_A second voice, this one female. "I know. It looks just terrible."_

_A third, male like the first. "Hmmm...it must have looked pretty good when it was first built."_

_The the first voice spoke up again. It sounded like they were in the kitchen now. "Look. There's still food here."_

_The third voice. "That's strange. It should have rotted away."_

_The second. "You're just a regular smarty-pants, aren't you, Zack?"_

_The one she had called Zack sounded hurt. "So what if I am, Harmony?"_

_The first voice spoke up again. "Shhh! What if someone's here?"_

_Harmony said, "There's nobody here. It's abandoned. Use your brain, Will."_

_Then the door had creaked open again, and a new, fourth voice spoke up. "I knew that I'd find you in here."_

_Will. "Melody? What are you doing here?"_

_"I followed you here. I'm curious about this place too."_

_Zack. "Well, it's not much. We've only got one more room to explore. It's pretty big."_

_Melody. "I'll help."_

_Then they had moved into his parent's room. He could see them. They had split up. Three of them had gone to parts of the room farthest away from the closet. But one had made his/her way over there. He scrunched himself into a ball and moved into the darkest corner of the closet. The one over there had squatted down and spoke. From her voice he could tell that it was Harmony. "This is a pretty big closet." She seemed to be talking to herself._

_She had reached into the closet. Then she actually moved into the closet. Her hand had brushed against him, causing him to yelp involuntarily. She had screamed and quickly backed out of the closet as he himself came shooting out. The others were frozen in shock as he shot to another corner, shaking in fear._

_Will. "What...what is it?"_

_Melody. "I don't know. I think it's just a wild fox."_

_Harmony. "No...it can't be. See? He's wearing something. And all that food we found was in cans. Wild foxes don't open cans."_

_She had approached him then, full of compassion. He didn't really remember what happened next, but eventually he had ended telling them why he was alone. Since he was smaller and weaker than the four of them, Harmony had acted as the mother figure. He was exhausted from all the fear and adrenaline, so after telling his story, he had curled up in her arms and slept. After that, she had carried him, still sleeping, back to her house..._

That had been his first encounter with the people that would eventually become his closest friends. He smiled, and thinking of them, fell into a deep sleep...


	3. Chapter 3

He slept. And while he slept, his brain recalled his memories. He began to remember, and started to dream...

_After Harmony had returned with him to her house, she had laid him in her bed. Then she had had a long discussion with her parents. They had not wanted another child in their household, but she had made a good case. She was passionate about helping him. He had been abandoned for two years._

_In the end, they had agreed. Despite not wanting another child, their consciences and parental instincts had won out. So when he had woken up, Harmony had explained to him. He had been overcome with happiness. He was more or less adopted into their family._

_Two days after he had been found, he looked like a new fox. He had been cleaned and groomed, and his yellow fur shone. He was really very intelligent, and showed it by quickly reading every book Harmony and her family owned._

_During the days, Harmony acted as his mother. He may have been five years old, the same as her, but mentally he was still three to four years younger, and his small stature reinforced this fact. But he caught up with his years soon enough, and Harmony became more of a sister figure, though he would always remember her as his surrogate mother._

_Then, Harmony had taken him to meet with the rest of her group of friends. Will was more or less the leader, and he looked it, as he was a black panther. Zack was a bookish type, a ferret with brownish-tan fur. Melody was a pretty lioness, who didn't really have a talent for academics, but was a good friend._

_And then there was Harmony. She was a vixen, with beautiful red-gold fur and green eyes. He had been smitten with her ever since he had seen her, though he would not be able to identify this strange feeling within him for years yet._

_These children had become his closest friends, even after their school years together were over and they had all moved on with their lives. Bit it was after they had matured that many strange things began to happen..._

He awoke. He remembered that time of his life very well-just after he had been found, and he had befriended those children. When he had truly discovered his love for Harmony, he had kept it secret. It just did not seem proper at the time, as she was his sister, even if she was his adopted sister. But one day, after a particularly exhausting day of school, there was an accident...

_Fifteen years after his birth..._

_He was walking home with Harmony. His eyes kept drooping, but he refused to let them close. He did not want to be seen carried home by Harmony, who could still easily lift him after ten years, due to his still being short and light. The day had been particularly demanding, what with a frantic game of dodgeball and equally frantic questions in all his classes that had challenged his brain until he was dead tired both physically and mentally._

_Harmony spoke. "Are you all right?"_

_"Yeah...just a little tired."_

_"Oh...well, we're almost home."_

_He could tell that she was concerned about him. That was one of the reasons he loved her-she was so compassionate to everyone, just like she had been to him ten years earlier. He was still thinking about her when they reached the house. They went in and hung their bags by the door. She offered to get drinks and he accepted, then he sat on the couch. His head fell sideways and he drifted to sleep, still thinking of her..._

_Harmony came back into the living room with their drinks, and saw that he had fallen asleep. She would have likely done the same in his place, as he had one of the most demanding schedules in their school. She took a minute to admire the way the sunlight hit his fur, and chuckled quietly to herself. He looked just like he had ten years ago, albeit cleaner and a bit taller. She set the drinks quietly on the table and went to sit next to him._

_He looked to be in a very deep sleep. She could only guess what he was dreaming about. She let her thought wander. She had often thought about him, and wondered if she was in love with him. She believed that her parents would have no problem with it, as they had grown very fond of him. Still, she doubted that he saw anything in her, because after all, she considered herself kind of plain. Not like some of the other girls, who-_

_She was cut off as she heard him mumbling something. She stood up and went to his other side, where his arm hung off the couch. She leaned in to hear him. What she heard shocked her._

_"Harmony...I love you so very much..."_

_Then, as if it was happening in his dream as well, his arm came up to hug her. She was too shocked to fend off the arm. Now she had her answer. He did love her. She began to smile, then laughed. This woke him up, and when he saw what his arm had done, he quickly removed it. "Harmony! What-"_

_"I heard you say that you loved me. Was it true?"_

_He was dumbstruck. He had confessed without reserve in his sleep that which he could never say out loud. Now she knew. There was only one thing to say._

_"Yes...it was true..."_

_At that, she laughed again. "Perfect! Because...", and here she lowered her voice,"...I love you too."_

_Then she kissed him._

After that, he remembered, they had gone to her parents. They had given them their blessing, and soon after that, everyone knew. He had been ecstatic. They had-

He was interrupted by a knock on the door. He was surprised. No one ever came here. He doubted that anyone knew this place existed. He went to the door and opened it.

There stood a vixen of about fifteen years, with striking red-gold fur and beautiful green eyes. He couldn't believe it.

"Harmony?"


End file.
